Sharing The Process...

I thought you might be interested to see my process for making my wee goldwork frogs, so I've put together a short video with each step represented in photos. Click HERE to watch. I hope you enjoy it!

My nieces have been busy making arrangements for their mum, and we now have a date. Her Celebration of Life will be December 2nd...the day before my Birthday. They actually asked if that would be a problem for me, and I told them not to give it another thought. Celebrating their mum on that date would be perfect, and I'm absolutely fine with it.

I would usually be in Portage today for our Craft Day - in fact, I was supposed to lead the project this month, but I didn't feel right going out of town while my nieces are still here. I am going out to lunch with my best friend, Lee, though. A "dose of Lee" is just what I need to cheer me up. We have a lot of catching up to do, so we may be there a while.

I'll have my latest project to share with you on Monday, but don't forget to stop in for your weekly scripture verse tomorrow. I hope you have a great weekend.

 

Crossed The Finish Line...

 

 

Completed Wedding Embroidery

 

I finished with time to spare! I learned that my body doesn't appreciate marathon needlework anymore. That said, I'm so happy with the final piece, and I'm really happy with the frame.

 

I need to remind myself to photograph my work before I frame it (or however I'm going to finish it), because when I had it all done and looked at this image, I could see things I could have added. Perhaps more blossoms on the right side of the bottom stems? Too late now. Another leaf here or there? Too late now. Aren't we always our own worst critics? I need to stop doing that.

 

Embroidery Detail - Names

I love how the bride and groom's names turned out. I think I did a pretty good job of replicating the typeface from their invitation. I'm happy to share how I did it, if anyone is interested. Just let me know in the comments.

 

So, today all I have to do is box and wrap this gift to take to the reception. Wedding at 1 pm, and dinner-dance at 6. I can relax and enjoy. Thanks for following my progress. I'll be gearing up for craft show production in the next week or so. I'm not going to think about that anymore today.

One more important thing...Happy Birthday to my dear BFF, Lee.

 

Doobie Brothers Concert...

Brynwood Needleworks/Donna Liljegren Image © 2018

 

Yesterday was my BFF, Lee's Birthday. To celebrate, we went to Milwaukee to the Riverside Theater to see The Doobie Brothers. It was a fabulous, fun concert, and we heard pieces they'd never before sung in public, along with their our old favorites.

Lee and I were joking that there sure were a lot of "old" people at the concert. (Of course, we were part of that demographic.) Truth is, everyone who attended likely feels just as young-at-heart as we do. The one thing that marked our "evolution" was that when the Doobies were first popular in the 70's, all of us were out dancing all night to their music. When I first saw them in concert (also with Lee about 15 years ago), we were still dancing. Last night, we were all singing along, but when I scanned across the audience, all of us were sitting in our seats - either rocking or bobbing our heads in time to the music (including me). Even so, every one of us loved the music last night, as much as when we were teenagers back in the 70's.

We picked up commemorative t-shirts, went to dinner afterward, and then drove back from Milwaukee, where I dropped Lee off to get her car. Then, we both headed home. I got back to the farm at 1:30, jabbered for a while with Steve, and then headed off to bed.

I think it was a perfect way for two girlfriends to celebrate a Birthday, and best of all, we now have a new memory of a fun time spent together...with The Doobie Brothers and a host of other fans, of course.

Happy Birthday, Dear Lee.

May you have many, many more happy days.

xo

Season Of Joy...

Brynwood Needleworks - Season of Joy

 

My BFF, Lee and I managed to get together before Handsome, the pups and I left Wisconsin. It was so nice to see her again. You know how it is with dear friends. You don't see each other for long stretches of time, but the instant you're together again, it's like you never missed a beat. That's how it is with us.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Season of Joy

I gave her the 25¢ tour (Remember, it's not 50¢ until the remodeling is done), and explained what our plans are for the farm. Then we settled in to talk and catch up. 

 

We exchanged gifts, too. I gave her one of the Grab and Go Clutches I made, and she showed me it will fit perfectly in her handbag. Now I know which style handbag I want to make for her, too. I also gave her a little of my private stash of hickory nuts. I know she'll mix them into a batch of cookies.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Season of Joy

Then she gave me this tea set! It consists of a tea cup and saucer, a lid with a sweet bird perched on top, and a tea strainer for brewing loose tea. She added two English teas and a box of my favorite PG Tips English tea bags. 

She knows me well. I'm looking forward to Spring when we'll be able to share time, talk and a lovely cuppa tea together. It will be like we never missed a beat.

A Last Wisconsin Weekend...

Me with my BFF Lee

This past weekend was a whirlwind of family gatherings. It seems that as we

near the end of our time here, our dance cards fill more quickly. So it was on

Saturday and Sunday. My weekend began with coffee and conversation with
my BFF Lee. We never really get enough time together on these trips. Ever.

Precious moments with our granddaughters

Then, I was off to a lunch date with our younger daughter-in-love and our two
fun and beautiful granddaughters. We ate at one of their favorite local restaurants
and then walked around town a bit to find a few things I needed to get as gifts.

I always enjoy talking with our girls and getting caught up on their lives...
and listening to their storytelling is always enlightening and amusing.

Adults: L-r: Josh, Johanna, Eli, me, Nathaniel, Chelsea, Aaron and Amanda (and the kidlets)

Saturday ended with a drive to Beaver Dam, WI to meet my Aunt Eli, her

three grown children and their families. My cousins are just the best, and 

all of us laughed over an Italian dinner and Eli's special touch for my cousin,

Nate's Birthday celebration. (That's him peeking over my shoulder.)

Nate with the kidlets wearing famous masks

She made face masks of famous people who share his Birthdate...and then
his nieces and nephews held them up to surprise him. (For this party, there
were Kevin Spacey, Sandra Bullock and Mick Jagger masks. Oh, boy!)

Goodness, I remember how much fun it was to be thirty one, and now he'll

have a year to enjoy it for himself. It was hard to end the evening to head home.

Me with my niece, Keeley

  Sunday began with lunch with my niece, Keeley and her grandma Sally.   Sally was kind and generous enough to offer one of her cars to me to use the entire time we were in Wisconsin. Aunty Margaret followed me over to Sally's so that I could return her car today. We visited over a lovely Waldorf salad lunch, and, after hugs and goodbyes, Aunty Margaret brought me back to the Flying  Cloud to find Handsome had returned from making circus music the wilds of  Nebraska. (He attended the summer Windjammers Convention all last week.)

Son #1, our lovely daughter-in-love and grandson - and me with Handsome (being serious) :D

Handsome and I spent a few hours catching up on the events of the week, and then we jumped back in our chariot to meet Son #1 and his family for dinner.   I've gotten really good at asking complete and total strangers to take my camera   and (after a quick lesson in its operation) getting them to snap really great memories for our album. Of course, there is usually silliness involved and this one was no exception. After hugs and kisses and promises to see each other again soon, we parted company and headed to our own homes for another good night's sleep.   Today, we'll be packing and preparing to leave Wisconsin. I've loved every  new memory we created with our friends and loved ones we saw on this trip.    Still, there never seems to be quite enough time. I can think of more than a few people we had hoped to see before we leave again, but missed. They'll be at the top of our list for the next time we're here. And, they're always welcome to travel south when the weather gets too cold for them. Until next year, loved ones...   We'll leave early tomorrow morning and turn for Florida. I have lots to do today, though before we're ready...starting with laundry. (I'll be trying my new homemade laundry soap!) I'd better get after it!

Tuesdays With Tag - Leavin' Meadville Today...

 Hi, Everybody!!!   Yesterday was spent mostly organizin' and stowin' gear for our move from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin. I was happy to soak up the sunshine and supervise.   Mom and Dad have a mental checklist they follow as we prepare to pull up stakes. (Steaks? Did somebody say "steaks"?)

First, they have to make sure lawn chairs that got wet durin' the couple days of rains are dry and ready to pack in their travelin' cases. Otherwise they get musty, and musty is not allowed on the Flying Cloud...'specially not if it's me!    Everythin' has a place - just like on an airplane. I think our flight attendant  friend,  LauraBelle (back in Sarasota) would feel right at home travelin' this way.

There are special compartments for stowin' Dad's tools and campsite setup equipment. There's even a special place for my dog food and dishes! Don't wanna lose my stuff, after all. I need to stay fed to keep up my good looks and quick wit, ya know.

The special Hensley™ hitch (that keeps us safe on the road) needs to be   greased and tightened before we can hook up to our trusty Ford F150.

I decided to wait in the shade under the picnic table so I don't get too hot. I'm no fool! I've got a great vantage point for all the action from here, too!

The awnings have to be furled and secured. This is the long, narrow one on the street side of the Cloud. It keeps the sun from beatin' down on the refrigerator, as well as, shadin' the windows all along that side of the camper. We can keep the windows open, even when it rains, thanks to this convenience we added to the Cloud...

and this one is on the dinin' end (the back end). We're really glad we also added this one two years ago for the same reasons. Before we can leave our campsite, all of these awnings are retracted and locked to keep them from flappin' around while we're drivin' down the road. That could be disastrous, don't ya think?

Mom lowers our antenna, closes all the roof vents, and secures the inside contents.   Dad does all the outside stuff and then hooks up to our truck. Once we do a  lightin' check to be sure all our taillights work properly, we'll say goodbye to our pals, (KOA owners) Robyn and Tim Chilson and leave Meadville.  They're gonna miss me, for sure. We're comin' back for three weeks next year!

Next stop...Jackson Center, Ohio. Time for my Flyin' Cloud to check in at its birthplace. It's always good to stop in and say "hi" to the folks, you know.

Looks like that's all from your "rovin' rover on the road". We gotta "fly"! 'til next week... "Wag Like Ya Mean It!"

A Bug From Down Under...

 Whenever I need a dose of Royal Academy of Needlework-quality embroidery, I

head over to Lee's blog "Notes From Under the Mountain". Lee lives in 

New Zealand in the shadow of Mt. Taranaki, and her handwork will make you

 swoon. She creates the most beautiful things and her stitches are perfection.

One day, I stopped by to visit and saw that Lee was offering up a piece of her

handwork in a giveaway. She had four little bugs that she'd stitched and there 

would be four lucky winners. I added my comment and crossed my fingers.

(This was the post announcing the winners on her blog. I was so excited!!!)

 I received my little beetle in the mail on Saturday and immediately opened

the package! Lee had tucked this little beauty inside a card of Mt. Taranaki.

I can't even imagine living anywhere with a view like that!

 I'm mesmerized by this little red beetle. It has bead-y black eyes, a 

leathery head and a puffy body stitched in sparkling red threads. I'm

in awe of the talent that Lee poured into all four of her beetles. Making

them seems to come so naturally to her. She's an inspiring needlewoman.

 For now, my little red beetle is going to sit on my sewing table right

in front of Harris so that I can look at it whenever I want to. I know 

I'll eventually affix it to something special - some time in the future -

but for now, I'm going to keep it close and enjoy looking at it.

I'm so grateful that Lee chose my name, and then was willing to

send this sweet gift all the way to Florida, USA.

I'll cherish this gift from your hands for a long time to come.

Thank you, Lee!

A Scrappy Quilt Gift...

My BFF, Lee recently gifted me a cherished family heirloom. It's a scrappy quilt made by her Grandma Busse. Lee thinks is was made in the 1960s, which makes it about fifty years old. That makes this beautiful quilt an antique. (Funny how I like thinking of things as antique, but my fifty plus years still don't qualify me as antique in my mind!)

Lee said that her grandmother gathered her friends to help hand-quilt the front, batting and backing together. Don't you love the squares, joined to the circles to make the blocks? There aren't many squares where a fabric is repeated within the block. Most change fabrics for each component of each block. I only found a very few that repeated (corner to corner) like this one does.

You don't have to look too hard to see all the tiny stitches that went into this quilt. The fabrics are diverse and colorful - each more interesting than the last.

I think the backing - a red and white print - is perfectly paired with the scrappy front. The front border is a blue and green floral that just makes me smile.

All those hands gathered to make this quilt is a testament to their friendship. Now, it's a generous gift from my dear friend, Lee to me.

I will care for it and think of Lee and her quilting Grandma Busse whenever I look at it. I'll be reminded of generations of warm hugs - handed from grandmother to mother to daughter (Lee) to this friend - whenever I sit beneath its colorful squares. I'm honored to be able to call this scrappy quilt mine.

Thank you, Lee.

PS: Jess asked me to thank all of you for your comments on yesterday's post. She will be listing crowns for boys and girls in her Etsy shop right after Labor Day, so please check back. You can also friend "Granola" on Facebook for her latest updates and newest creations.

Empty Nests...

The woods hold not such another gem
as the nest of the hummingbird.
The finding of one is an event.

- John Burroughs, naturalist

When I was in Wisconsin, my best friend, Lee, gave me five
empty bird's nests. One was larger, but there were FOUR
hummingbird's nests that she'd found and saved - just for me.

If, in John Burroughs words, "the finding one nest is an event",
then receiving four of these treasures was a full-blown holiday!

The hummer's nests had dried berries that the little
birds had placed in the nests. There were even little
snips of black dog fur from Lee's black Labradors
woven among the twigs and grasses to make a soft bed.

They're tiny and precious, and did I say there were FOUR of them?
I am so looking forward to doing something wonderful with them,
but for now, I'm going to place them in the studio and think of the
little jewels, and their babies who nested snugly inside them.

There was also a larger nest.

I don't know what sweet bird patiently brooded in this nest,
guarding her eggs and feeding growing babies, but I'll smile when
I think of it, built to keep another family safe until they
fledged and left their protective refuge to fend for themselves.

Thank you, Lee.

Today is the last day to enter my 400th Follower Giveaway! Midnight (ET) is the deadline to sign up. Good luck and Thank you to all who entered.

PS. One of the bloggers posted great photos of a hummingbird sitting on her nest recently. I can't remember who it was, though. If you know (or if it was you), please email a link to their post or blog to me. I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!

My Best Friend...

Wednesday night, I flew to Wisconsin and my best friend, Lee picked me up at the airport. We had dinner together and then went to her home, where I spent the night. We sat up and talked until after two o'clock in the morning, and it was nearly three by the time I finally fell asleep. (Well, it was actually more like I just passed out from exhaustion!)

When we both got up this morning, we shared breakfast and talked over coffee, and later, we shared lunch together. By late afternoon, she and I finally got back in the car and drove to my mum's house. Mum had been anxiously awaiting our arrival and we were all glad to see each other again.

Rather than just drop me off, Lee sat down and visited with my mum. The reason I'm at Mum's this week is to help her clear, destash and stage her home to put on the market to sell. Once it's sold, she's going to move down to Florida so she can live near Handsome and me. Lee knew that moving furniture was on my agenda, so she immediately pulled up her sleeves and said, "I'll help. Let's get this furniture moved."

We unhooked the wiring for Mum's television and Lee marked the cables so we'd know where everything went for the "replugging". We moved furniture, big and small and then revamped the window treatments...all the while calming down Mum and assuring her that this "look" will help sell her home faster. We know that the whole experience is more than a little traumatic for Mum, but Lee helped me bolster her so that she could feel more comfortable with what was going on. Afterwards, the three of us had dinner and then Lee left to go home, care for their dogs and get some rest before going back to work tomorrow.

If you're very fortunate, you too have a girlfriend like mine. You may not speak with each other regularly, but you can rest assured that if you're thinking about her, she's thinking about you. You know that she's missing you just as much as you're missing her. And, you know when you see her, it will be like no time has passed at all since your last visit...even if it's been months or years. Today she shared my burden and made it lighter for us all the way around. Thanks, BFF.

The photograph of the two of us was taken when Lee was at our home in Florida. Instead of standing outside in the warm, Florida sunshine, today was windy, wet and cold in Wisconsin. When you're with your best friend, it's easy to find your own sunshine. So, in spite of the weather, today was just perfect!